Trump’s 250 Grand Prix

Plus: TIME’s Longevity Leaders  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Richard Hall | August 21, 2026     Hello! Today The Brief heads to Washington, where the National Mall is being transformed into a race track for the final event marking America’s 250th birthday. We also look at the latest turn in the nearly six-month U.S.-Iran war, as President Donald Trump shifts his focus toward what he is calling an economic “D-Day” against Tehran. Plus: A political candidate has an uncomfortable debate moment—and don’t forget to play today’s Linked! IN TODAY’S BRIEF Racing through Washington Iran’s economic “D-Day” The Hind Rajab investigation Harry and Meghan’s return Longevity leaders A debate stumble         READ THIS FIRST What to know about Trump’s 250 Grand Prix Matt McClain—Bloomberg/Getty Images A slice of Washington, D.C., will become a race track this weekend as President Donald Trump caps the U.S.’s 250th-birthday celebrations with an IndyCar race around the National Mall. Twenty-five drivers are set to compete Sunday across 147 laps of a 1.66-mile course that passes landmarks including the Capitol, Smithsonian museums, and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Trump is expected to take a pre-race lap in his presidential limousine, “The Beast.” Organizers anticipate roughly 140,000 spectators across the weekend, with 100,000 free tickets distributed by lottery. The spectacle will have consequences beyond the track. The FAA expects to pause flights at Reagan National Airport for three hours Sunday, while preservationists and museum officials have raised concerns about whether vibrations from the cars could threaten nearby artifacts and historic buildings. The National Gallery of Art says it conducted a vibration study and has put protective measures in place. —Connor Greene         SPONSORED Domain Names + Web and Email Hosting For Less Still paying GoDaddy or Namecheap prices? Porkbun sells most domains at cost for low, transparent registration and renewal pricing with no nonsense. Get free features like WHOIS privacy and SSL certificates, plus real human support 24/7, 365 days a year. Save $1 on your next domain name now. Save On Your Domain Now         HAPPENING NOW Trump threatens Iran with an economic ‘D-Day’ Al Drago–The Washington Post/Bloomberg/Getty Images President Donald Trump is escalating economic pressure on Iran, threatening countries that continue providing Tehran access to global trade and financial networks as the nearly six-month war enters a new phase. Trump called the effort an “economic D-Day” and warned that countries offering Iran a “lifeline” could themselves face economic consequences. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that Washington would pursue “maximum economic pressure” alongside the existing blockade. Iranian officials dismissed the threats. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the move a “diversion from America's own crisis: unprecedented debt & surging interest costs,” while other officials argued that previous military pressure had failed. The new campaign comes as U.S.-Iran negotiations remain stalled and a temporary cease-fire framework has expired without producing a broader settlement. One major question is how far Washington is willing to push countries still trading with Iran—particularly China, Iran’s largest trading partner and primary buyer of its oil. —Tiago Ventura         NEED TO KNOW IDF says troops fired on car carrying Hind Rajab, opens criminal probe Dawoud Abo Alkas—Anadolu/Getty Images The Israel Defense Forces has acknowledged for the first time that Israeli troops fired on the vehicle carrying 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and six relatives in Gaza in January 2024, reversing its previous denial that soldiers were in the area. The IDF said troops opened fire as the Hamada family’s vehicle approached them, killing five passengers. Rajab and her 15-year-old cousin Layan Hamada initially survived and contacted rescue authorities. Their bodies were recovered 12 days later, along with those of their relatives. Two Palestine Red Crescent paramedics sent to rescue the girls were also killed. The military said it would open a criminal investigation after its internal review identified alleged failures involving coordination of the ambulance’s movement. Rajab’s mother, Wesam Hamada, called instead for “an independent, transparent investigation and genuine accountability for everyone responsible.” Recordings of Rajab pleading with emergency dispatchers for help became one of the war’s most widely heard accounts of civilian suffering in Gaza. —Connor Greene         IN THE NEWS Harry and Meghan are reportedly moving back to the U.K. Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are expected to move back to the U.K. later this year after six years living in the U.S., according to multiple reports. The couple are reportedly planning to move with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, to a non-royal residence outside London, with both children set to attend a British school beginning in September. King Charles III was reportedly informed of the plans over the weekend. The return would come after years of tension between Harry and the Royal family, as well as a long-running dispute over the security arrangements available to his family in Britain. Harry lost an appeal over those arrangements in 2025. The Duke and Duchess are not expected to resume their former roles as working members of the Royal family. Neither the couple nor Buckingham Palace has publicly confirmed the reports. Asked about the speculation Wednesday, Harry said he had “nothing to say.” —Callum Sutherland         SPONSORED How Jennifer Aniston’s LolaVie brand grew sales 40% with CTV ads The DTC beauty category is crowded. To break through, Jennifer Aniston’s brand LolaVie, worked with Roku Ads Manager to easily set up, test, and optimize CTV ad creatives. The campaign helped drive a big lift in sales and customer growth, helping LolaVie break through in the crowded beauty category. Learn more         HEALTH CHECK TIME’s Longevity Leaders are racing to add good years to your life The science of longevity is booming, with researchers pursuing an increasingly ambitious goal: not simply extending life, but finding ways to keep people healthier for more of it. TIME’s 2026 Longevity Leaders highlights 12 people pushing the field forward. They include Nobel-winning scientist Shinya Yamanaka, whose discovery helped lay the foundation for research into reprogramming human cells to behave as if they were younger, and scientists experimenting with ways to reverse cellular aging in different parts of the body. Others are working to distinguish legitimate advances from hype or rethinking how society should adapt to an aging population. There is still no proven drug people can take to extend their lives. But some of the most established longevity advice is decidedly less futuristic: exercise, maintain muscle, and build strong social relationships. The emerging science may be sophisticated, but the larger goal is straightforward—finding ways to add not just more years to life, but more healthy years. —Mandy Oaklander         A VIRAL MOMENT ‘National security is not my thing’ A foreign-policy question produced an awkward moment for South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham, sister of the late Lindsey Graham, during a runoff-election debate Tuesday night. Asked about Taiwan and the South China Sea, Graham struggled with her response before conceding, “national security is not my thing.”          SPONSORED Not All Private Real Estate Is Structured the Same Lightstone DIRECT gives accredited investors access to select private real estate opportunities alongside the owner/operator. No blind funds. No intermediaries. Just institutional discipline and meaningful alignment. Explore Opportunities This communication is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Any such offer or solicitation will be made exclusively through the definitive offering documents. All investments involve risk of loss, including the potential loss of principal. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Any targeted returns or projections are forward-looking statements, are based on current assumptions, and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially.       Linked In this addictive word-association game, find the steps that will unite two seemingly unrelated words in just four moves. PLAY NOW       ALSO WORTH YOUR TIME HEALTH Americans Are (Still) Drinking Less than Ever Before AI  What Happens When the World is Run on Code No One Understands? HEALTH Here's What a Leading Lettuce Breeder Wants You to Know     EMAIL US: thebrief@time.com More Newsletters from Click to sign up. D.C. 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